Woah, Mama!
by TheseWords-MyDiary
Summary: The sequel to "Woah, Baby!" - It's five years later, and Chuck and Blair are happy raising four children and each running their own companies. What happens when something ruins that happiness? Will they make it through?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - As promised! The sequel to "Woah, Baby!" This story will, again, include all of the other GG characters, but will mainly be about Chuck, Blair and their children making it together through a difficult time. If you're a new reader, you don't _need_ to read "Woah, Baby!" to understand this story, but there will be a lot of relationships and things happening in this sequel that will be better understood if you have read the first story.**

**This chapter is all Chuck & Blair along with their children. Vanessa is in a little of the chapter, but not much.**

**Disclaimer:: No, I do not own Gossip Girl. If I did, Chuck and Blair would be together and over all of the crap from Season 3!**

**I do not have a beta, so please excuse my mistakes. If anyone is interested in being my beta, please let me know! :)  
**

To say that they had been busy over the last five years would be an understatement.

Blair and Chuck now had four children. After having Evelyn Misty Bass and getting married all within their first year after high school, they'd found out that they were pregnant again when Evie was only six-months old. That lead to the birth of Olivia Grace Bass, leaving the couple with two daughters who were only fifteen-months apart.

You would think that having two girls that close in age while they each ran a business (Chuck, with Bass Industries, and Blair, with Blair Waldorf PR, an event-planning business) would be enough for them, and you would be right. That didn't stop mother-nature from bringing them a set of _surprise_ twin boys, Ethan Harold Bass and Caden Bartholomew Bass, only eighteen months after their youngest daughter.

They were a busy couple, but they made it work, and they did it without the help of nannies or caregivers, which was what they had vowed to do from the start.

With all of this in mind, it wasn't unusual for Chuck to wake up on a weekday to his wife frantically trying to get herself and the children ready for the day. What was unusual was how skittish Blair acted when Chuck tried to convince her to take a small break for an early morning make-out session. She'd been acting this way for a while, come to think of it.

"No, Chuck," she said sternly before slapping his hands off of her waist. Blair quickly walked into their closet and returned with a purse to match her shoes. "I'm almost late for my…appointment. I don't have time to get all touchy-feely with you this morning!"

Chuck raised his eyebrows in surprise before following his wife out into the hallway. "Since when has that ever stopped you? And since when do you have an appointment? You told me last week that your schedule was clear for today." He placed his hands on his pajama-clad hips and gave her a look that said _exactly_ how annoyed he was. "We were supposed to take the children to the zoo today, remember? We promised the girls."

Blair closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath. She _knew_ that it was going to be hard to get out of the house this morning without any problems. She felt so guilty, but there was no way that she could tell him what was really going on. Not yet, anyway. "Chuck," she began. "I completely forgot about this appointment, ok? I'm sorry, but it's important. Can you just watch the kids for a little while? I'll get home as soon as possible and then we can all go to the zoo." Blair leaned up onto her toes to kiss her husband on the cheek. "I promise I'll be back as soon as I can, OK?"

Chuck eyed Blair suspiciously for a few seconds. He knew that something else was going on with her. She _never_ just let an important meeting just slip her mind. She was too organized for that. He wasn't about to point that out, though. They didn't need to be fighting on their day off. Especially not in front of their children who would be barreling down the hallway any minute. Instead, he just leaned down and kissed his wife on the forehead before whispering an "I love you" into her skin.

"Love you too, Chuck," Blair called back before hurrying out of their penthouse.

Chuck felt guilty doing what he was about to do, but he also had a horrible feeling in his gut at the moment and he really wanted to know what was happening with his wife. She'd been shutting him out and acting crazy for the last week, and it was really getting to him. He dialed the familiar number and when his driver picked up, he did something that he knew would cause and argument between himself and Blair later. "Hello Arthur. Can you call me and tell me exactly where you take Blair today? Don't let her hear you talking to me. Thanks. Goodbye."

XOXOXOXO

"Blair," Vanessa exclaimed as Blair dragged her out of her apartment building and toward the Bass limo. Once they were seated inside and the car began to move towards their destination, Vanessa turned a slight glare in her friend's direction. "Why can't you just tell Chuck about this? You know that as soon as he finds out that you're hiding something like _this_ from him, he's going to be mad, and I don't want to be considered an accomplice."

Blair rolled her eyes. "Calm down, Vanessa. _If_ Chuck finds out that you were with me today, I'll take the blame." She crossed her arms defensively before sitting back in her seat. "That's if this even turns out to be a big deal to begin with. I need to find out if it is first."

Vanessa immediately felt bad for her attitude toward Blair given the situation. "I'm sorry, Blair. This is just…," she trailed off with a shake of her head as she tried to find the right words. "It's just a very serious situation. I don't like helping you hide it from Chuck. I mean, how would you feel if you found out that he was hiding something this big from you?"

Blair sat silently for the rest of the ride. She stared down into her lap at her hands clasped together, and tried her best not to let herself cry. She _couldn't_ cry right now. Not yet. After what seemed like forever, the Bass limo stopped in front of their destination, and Blair finally looked up from her hands and at her friend. "I won't hide this from him forever. I just need to hide it until the end of this meeting, and then I'll go to him and tell him everything. I promise."

Vanessa raised her eyebrow testily. "The way that you promised Jenny that you'd do the same thing after your appointment last week?" She shook her head and began following Blair out of the limo and onto the sidewalk. "You better tell him after this. Whether the outcome is good or bad, you need to do it because if you don't, then I will."

Blair's eyes filled with tears for what felt like the millionth time over the last week. She collected herself quickly, though and stood straight. "Fine," she agreed before turning her back and walking into the building.

Behind her, the driver who had been like family to her over the last ten years was already on the phone to her husband. Like it or not, Blair was going to have to tell him everything soon.

XOXOXOXO

Chuck had allowed the children to sleep in later than usual. He took the time to get himself ready and then to make a few business calls before they woke up. He remembered what it was like to want to spend time with his father only to find him working all of the time when he was a child. He vowed never to do that to his children, and he hadn't. He even took them all in to the office with him on some days, which was something his own father had never done with him.

It was about ten-thirty when he heard the pitter patter of what could _only_ be his youngest daughter coming into the dining room where he was seated.

"Daddy," Olivia called out excitedly before pouncing into her father's lap. Just like her older sister, she had been a daddy's girl from day one. At almost four-years-old, she _still_ got a little teary-eyed when ever her father left the house without her.

Chuck held his daughter tightly for a moment before pulling back to look her in the eyes. She was a miniature Blair down to the very last curl on her adorable little head, unlike her older sister who was a combination of both of her parents. Olivia's Blair-esque looks sent a small pang of worry running through his body on this particular morning since he'd just gotten off of the phone with the family driver who had told him exactly where his wife was at that moment. "Good morning, Olivia," Chuck said with a smile. "Have the boys and your sister woken up yet?"

"Oh yes," Oliva answered matter-of-factly, clutching onto her favorite stuffed animal – a white rabbit named Theodore. "And the boys are being _very_ naughty this morning. Theodore and I came down here to tell you _just that_ because they should be punished!"

Chuck tried his hardest not to laugh at his daughter whose personality was also just like her mother's. She was always trying to rule the house, of course, because she wasn't in school yet, so she wasn't able to be the queen there. She needed to be the queen somewhere. "And just what were they doing that was so naughty, Ms. Olivia," Chuck asked his daughter as he lifted her into his arms and began making his way upstairs to his children's rooms. "I'm also supposed to tell you not to tattle, so just don't tell your mother that I've forgotten," he said as an afterthought.

"Oh, I won't," Olivia answered in excitement. She certainly never wanted her father to be angry with her. "The boys came into my room and pulled my hair! That is how Theodore and I both woke up this morning. They were going into Evie's room, too!"

Right at that moment, a high-pitched scream could be heard from his oldest daughter's bedroom followed by quiet laughter, and then the sight of Ethan and Caden peaking out into the hallway so that they didn't get caught running back into their rooms. At almost three, the boys were a spitting image of their father in looks and were an exact combination of both of their parents in personality. They were always scheming, and were always in trouble because of it. They were certainly going to be something to worry about when they grew older.

"Boys," Chuck called with warning in his voice as soon as soon as both of his sons made an appearance in the hallway. "What did you do to your sister?"

The twins each turned to look at their father with seemingly innocent expressions on their faces before running forward to hug his legs. "Daddy," they shouted with smiles on their faces.

A moment later, an angry Evelyn came stomping from her bedroom with tears running down her face. "They pulled my hair," she answered angrily. "They came in my room and they pulled my hair, daddy!"

"See," Olivia shouted proudly. "I told you so!"

Chuck hugged his youngest daughter before setting her down onto her feet. "Yes, I know you did sweetheart," he agreed to pacify her. He then turned to Evelyn and rubbed her head gently. "Are you alright," he asked already knowing the answer. Little Evie had a habit of making small injuries and situations into much larger ones. She was extremely dramatic.

Evelyn crossed her arms defensively. She was turning five in only a week, and she was big enough to know when her father had caught onto her dramatic behavior. "I…I guess so," she sniffled quietly.

"Alright, well…," Chuck began. "You girls go ask Dorota to help you get dressed for the zoo. We'll be leaving as soon as your mother gets home, which should be soon."

Olivia jumped up and down in excitement and Evelyn's teary eyes miraculously cleared before she grabbed her sister's hand and they both ran off to find Dorota.

Once the girls were around the corner, Chuck turned his attention to his sons who were still standing beside him with smiles on their faces. He bent down to take hold of both of their hands, and marched them into their bedroom. They were each in trouble so often that they had designated time out chairs already set up in the corner. "Now," Chuck began after sitting them both in their chairs. "You two are to sit here for the next two minutes and think about what you did. We just talked about keeping your hands to yourselves _last night_," he said angrily. "After you get up, we'll go to the zoo, but you won't be getting any ice cream tonight because you picked on your sisters."

Ethan and Caden both crossed their arms defensively, and turned identical glares up at their father. "Fine," they muttered looking away.

XOXOXOXO

Blair walked out of her meeting with a frazzled look on her face. It's not that she had been positive about the outcome, but she had _tried_ to be. None of that mattered now. She looked down at all of the reading information in her hand, and took a deep breath. She couldn't go home right now. She couldn't go home, and look at her husband and her kids with a happy smile on her face. Not right now.

"Blair," Vanessa called out to her friend, and immediately saw that it was a mistake to speak so loud when she saw Blair jump at the sound of her voice. When Blair finally turned to look her in the eye, she went on. "Do you want me to go with you to talk to Chuck?" She began pulling her phone out of her purse. "I'm sure Dan won't mind watching Dylan and Autumn for another hour."

Blair considered it for a moment. She tipped her head from side to side as if bouncing the thought around before finally answering with a quiet "no." She slid quickly into the backseat of the Bass limo when it pulled up to the front of the building, and then turned to Vanessa again when the door closed. "Thank you for the offer, but I think I'd rather do this part alone."

Vanessa nodded her agreement and then allowed the rest of the ride to pass by in silence. She understood that Blair probably just needed to be alone with her thoughts for a little while, and she wasn't going to mess that up for her. When the car finally pulled up to her and Dan's home on the Upper West Side, she got out with a quiet "I'll talk to you later," and then watched the car drive away again with worry.

Inside the car, Blair continued to stare at the papers in her hands with terror. There was no way that she could go home and deal with these issues right now. Not with her kids around. She didn't want to frighten them with her obvious fear and sadness, and she definitely couldn't pretend to be alright at the zoo. She suddenly leapt forward and pressed the call button into the front of the limo before calling out a new destination. When the car turned off three blocks before her own street, she relaxed against her seat again.

For the first time in quite a few years, Blair Waldorf-Bass was running away from her problems, and she didn't feel all that bad about it.

XOXOXOXO

Chuck sat at the dining room table with his four children as they waited for Blair to get home for their trip to the zoo. They'd quickly gotten ready and were practically bouncing with excitement, oblivious to the nervousness of their father.

Chuck looked down at his watch for likely the hundredth time since Arthur had called him to inform him that he was bringing his wife home. That was nearly an hour before. Just when Chuck was thinking about calling his wife and asking her where she was himself, his phone beeped with a new text message.

_From: Arthur_

_Mrs. Bass asked to be taken to The Palace bar. In route now._

Chuck set it phone down, practically bursting with worry and anger in the next second. If his children weren't all sitting around the table staring at him, he'd let all of that get the best of him. That wasn't the case, though, and his children were expecting a trip to the zoo. With or without their mother, Chuck was going to accomplish that.

"Was that mommy," Olivia asked sweetly, wearing a big smile on her face.

Chuck smiled at his children and nodded. "It seems mommy is still stuck in her meeting, sweetheart." When he saw their faces fall, he quickly followed his previous statement up with "so daddy's going to take you to the zoo instead."

"_And_ out for ice cream," Evelyn prompted quickly. "That's what you said yesterday!"

Chuck nodded his head and then stood up to lead the way to the elevator. "Of course I will. Daddy _never_ goes back on his word. You know that."

When the elevator doors closed, the Bass children all had bright smiles on their faces and were clapping in excitement. Those faces helped to cheer Chuck up. At least a little bit.

XOXOXOXO

When Blair finally came home, it was midnight. Her children had long since gone to bed, and the felt horrible about not being around for them at all that day. She just couldn't face them – or anyone – with a smile. She was terrified and devastated. As she walked into the penthouse, she prayed that Chuck was asleep. All she needed was one night of rest without bringing up. One night of not talking or thinking about what was happening or what was to come.

She wasn't that lucky.

"Was the bar at The Palace fun," Chuck spoke from the living room chaise. He stood up, and walked slowly toward his wife with a scotch in his hand. "Was it worth missing a day with your children at the zoo, Blair?"

Blair stared across the small space at her husband, her mouth opening and closing, but no sound escaping. "Chuck…I-"

"Save it, Blair," he interrupted. "I know where you've been today. Arthur told me," Chuck said as his eyes practically burned a hole through her. "So you can either tell me what's so awful that you can't tell me that you went to the _doctor's office_, or I can call them and ask them myself."

"Chuck…," Blair started.

"Are you pregnant," Chuck interrupted again. "Is that it? Why would that be a bad thing, Blair?"

"It's not that, Chuck!"

"Than what is it? Why would you be going to the OBGYN's office with _Vanessa_ today and _Jenny _last week without telling me? What's going on," Chuck asked angrily.

"Thanks for checking up on me, Chuck," Blair snapped. She then took a deep calming breath before going on. "If you would just let me _speak_ for longer than two words, I'd be able to tell you," she said, tears rising into her eyes.

Chuck had started panicking on the inside hours ago. All of this time, he'd been thinking that maybe Blair was pregnant and that she was just afraid to tell him because she wasn't sure if he wanted any more surprises. When Arthur had texted him the message that Blair had been hanging out in a bar, the possibility that maybe she was pregnant went out the window. What was _wrong_ with her? He slowly sat back down on the chaise and gestured with his hands for her to go on.

Blair took a deep breath, and then looked down at her oversized purse that carried all of her paperwork. "L-last week, I um…I was taking a shower, and…," she broke off with a small sob before forcing herself to go on. "I found a lump," she said as quickly as possible. Like ripping off a band-aid, and then she raised her gaze back up to her husband.

Chuck swallowed hard before standing up and crossing the room again in two strides. "But you're ok, right? The doctor said that you were fine?"

"Well," Blair began. She pulled the paperwork from the doctor's office out of her purse, and passed it to him. When he took it from her hands, but didn't lower his gaze, she went on. "I went to the doctor's office last week, and they took a biopsy of the lump with a needle and then a sonogram. They called me last night and asked me to come in to meet with them about my results this morning."

Chuck begin looking through the papers in his hands, but nothing made sense to him. Words like "malignant" and "mastectomy" were familiar to him, but for some reason he couldn't make his brain remember what they meant. That's when Blair's shaky voice broke through with the worst news he'd gotten in his entire life.

"It's cancer, Chuck," Blair said, letting her tears finally fall. "I didn't want to tell you if it was nothing because I thought that it was _nothing_. I mean, I'm only twenty-four. I'm not old enough for this stuff, am I?" She let quiet sobs take over her body for a few minutes before going on. "The tumor in my breast is so large they're likely going to need to perform a mastectomy. I've been referred to a specialist about it, who I have to meet with tomorrow morning. Will you, um…will you go with me?"

Chuck nodded, and without another thought, he crossed the distance a pulled Blair securely into his chest. "We'll get through this, Blair. It'll be fine," he cooed as he rocked her from side to side. "It'll all be fine. You'll see."

**Reviews, please? Let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - So sorry for the long wait! I already have the next chapter almost completely written, so it should be up soon! :) Hope you like this one!**

Blair Bass wasn't used to being afraid of things. She was _Blair Bass_ – wife of billionaire, Chuck Bass. Any problem they encountered could usually be solved with a sizeable donation or a healthy amount of scheming. Even before she was Chuck Bass' wife, she was _Blair Waldorf_, the Queen Bee of the Upper East Side; the woman who could make problems scatter with a strategically placed evil-eye or smart-ass comment.

She was _not_ used to being afraid. She was _not_ used to finding issues that she couldn't fix.

Chuck felt the same way. He was used to being able to solve problems with little effort. He was used to being part of a _team;_ a team that could solve their problems together or _for _each other.

Blair having cancer was _not_ an easy issue. It wasn't something that she could fix with a scheme, and while their money would get her the treatment that she needed, it wasn't the easy-fix that they were used to. Cancer wasn't something that Chuck could fix _for_ her, and while they could work through it as a _team_, they weren't going to be able to make it go away as easily as they were used to. The treatment for such a disease was all on _Blair_. Chuck wasn't going to be able to go through it for her. That was scary territory all in itself.

Sitting across from Doctor Andrews – New York's top oncologist – listening to Blair's diagnosis and what was to come, both Blair and Chuck felt afraid. And useless.

"Mrs. Bass," Doctor Andrews started. "You have IBC, which stands for Inflammatory Breast Cancer." She stopped speaking long enough to allow the information to sink in.

Blair felt tears burning into the backs of her eyes, but she wasn't about to show it. She wasn't about to say anything. If that's what the woman sitting across from her was expecting, it wasn't going to happen. Opening her mouth would cause her to break, and she wasn't one to break in front of anyone.

Luckily, Chuck knew her better than she knew herself, so he spoke. "What…what does that mean, exactly," he asked hesitantly before hurrying to elaborate. "I mean, I know what cancer _means_. What I meant to ask is how far along is it? Is it treatable?"

Doctor Andrews smiled encouragingly at the couple in front of her. They were both so young, and so obviously afraid. While she loved her job, the reactions of her patients and their families were the hardest to stand. "The cancer is a stage three, meaning that the lump in Blair's breast is at least 5 centimeters large, and has spread to one lymph node that we were able to tell in your exam this morning." She pushed a stack of papers and pamphlets toward the couple about mastectomies. "We're going to need to do a mastectomy in which we remove the breast and the affected lymph node."

Blair stared down at the information packets in front of her. It was all gibberish to her. Her ears picked up voices as if she were under water. She was going to lose her _breast_.

"We will have a plastic surgeon of your choice in the operation room with us to replace the breast with an artificial one," the doctor said, interrupting Blair's thoughts. When Blair looked away from the papers in her hands, and made eye contact with the woman across from her, she received a comforting smile. "I know that the thought of losing a breast is overwhelming, but you will come out of the operation with a brand new one that will look perfectly normal."

Blair nodded, but didn't speak. She silently reached across the space beside her, and squeezed her husband's hand. She hoped that that would convey her thoughts.

"Ok," Chuck spoke with a nod. He shifted nervously in his seat. All of this sounded way too easy. There had to be more. "So Blair will just get the operation and then everything will be fine, right?"

Doctor Andrews took a deep breath before answering in an even voice. As if she was relaying the weather. "I'm afraid it's not that easy. Blair, you will need to have the operation as soon as possible. I'm going to schedule it for this Saturday morning at 8:00," she paused to write the date down on a chart in front of her. "Since a lymph node will be removed from under your arm, the operation will leave you with some swelling in that area and pain when you lift your arm, so physical therapy will be required. Also because of the lymph node being affected, you will need to undergo four rounds of chemotherapy."

Both Chuck and Blair's eye widened, and neither of them were able to speak. Chemotherapy had crossed both of their minds, and though they were expecting it, hearing it wasn't easy.

"I would like to start that next Wednesday. Each round of chemotherapy will take place for about an hour for three days in a row. You will then get to take a week off, and then do another three days the week after. This will continue until your four rounds are complete, and the dosage will be higher as we progress. Three months from now is the completion that I want to aim for, provided that we don't have any complications," the doctor finished.

"Complications," Blair asked hesitantly.

"If your white blood cell count drops too low, we will need to take a break to prevent infection. This could take place in your third or fourth rounds because of the increased dosage." Doctor Andrews paused, giving the young couple across the desk a sympathetic look. "I know that this is a lot of information to take in. You will be given plenty of reading material to look over for all of the details that you need to know on all of these procedures. Do you have any questions for me?"

"When will I lose my hair," Blair asked, unconsciously running her fingers through her brunette tresses.

Chuck watched the strands fall slowly back to her shoulders with a painful feeling in his chest. The luscious curls that he had always been mesmerized by would soon be gone. Sure, they would return eventually, but to see them _fall out_? That was hard to think about.

"Every individual is different, Blair," Doctor Andrews started. "However, with the dosage that you will be having, I'm going to say that you can expect to begin losing your hair during your second round of chemotherapy."

Blair just stared back at the oncologist wide-eyed, and silent. She finally nodded, and then looked down into her lap. "I don't have any further questions."

The doctor nodded her head in understanding. Blair was afraid and frustrated; giving her room to breathe and to let the news settle was completely normal. "That's fine, Blair," Doctor Andrews said as she rose from her seat. "I will see you at 6:00 on Saturday morning for your surgery preparation."

Chuck nodded his head. "Thank you, Doctor Andrews. We'll see you then," he said before ushering Blair out of her chair and then out of the building.

Their ride home was silent for more of the time, with Blair resting her head on Chuck's shoulder while he held her close.

Finally, when they pulled up to the front of Nate and Jenny's building, Blair turned to look at her husband and spoke quietly, but with a firm tone. "The children are not to know about this right now, Chuck."

Chuck hesitated before answering with a quiet "that's fine. We won't tell them until you're ready to."

Blair's shoulders dropped, and tears filled her eyes. "It's just that Evelyn's turning five on Monday. Her party is next Saturday, and I don't want her to have to be concerned about me being sick." She paused, and got a far-off look in her eyes before going on. "I just don't want to scare them with my illness, so we'll just have Lily or Nate or even Dan and Vanessa watch them during my operation and even my first round of chemo. After that, we'll sit down to tell them. By then, I'll be almost half finished with it," Blair finished with a nod. "Hopefully," she added as an afterthought.

Chuck reached out to take both of Blair's hands gently into his, and then he leaned forward to look directly into her eyes. "We'll do this however you want to, Blair. I'm with you one-hundred percent," he said with such conviction that she knew he was telling the truth. "Do you understand me?"

Blair smiled and then nodded. She had to swallow hard before answering with a quiet yes, and then she turned to get out of the limo as if nothing had ever happened.

Chuck always knew that Blair was strong, but until that moment, he had never known how _incredibly_ strong she really could be.

XOXOXOXO

"Aiden Archibald! How _could _you," Evelyn could be heard shouting from down the hall.

Nate rolled his eyes and then tried to ignore the argument, hoping that it would go away. Evelyn was widely known for the dramatics, and his son Aiden was widely known for getting a kick out of them. Nate sighed when quiet filled his home once again. That didn't last long, however, because Olivia, followed by Aiden's twin sister Ava came darting down the hallway in the very next moment.

"Daddy" and "Mr. Nathanial" came bubbling from the girls' mouths at the same time.

Nate put his hand up to stop the both of them from speaking. "Before you continue - one at a time, please," he said before rubbing his forehead. There was a dull ache building behind his eyes. These children were a handful.

"Daddy," Ava began. "_Guess_ what Aiden just did!" She paused and then raised her eyebrows at her father for the dramatic effect.

"What did he do," Nate asked, humoring his daughter who, much like Olivia Bass, was prone to tattling.

"Well, _first_," Olivia continued the story. "He took Evie's _very _favorite Bouncin' Babbles doll away from her, and _then_ he tried to make her fly on the ceiling fan!"

"Yes. He. _Did_," Ava nodded dramatically. "Only she didn't fly because she _can't_ fly, and we told him that, and now she's bumped her head on the wall, and Evie is crying, and Aiden is laughing at her, and so are Edward and Ethan!" Ava finished the story heavily winded from having not paused in her tale to even take a breath.

Nate shook his head and reluctantly stood from his very comfortable seat on the couch. It had been the first time he'd sat down all day what with him having to run after five children and all. "Let's go see what's going on back there," he said before walking towards his son's bedroom followed by the two girls who were stomping the entire way behind them.

"Oooooh," Olivia could be heard speaking in a sing song voice to Ava. "He's going to be in _so_ much trouble."

Ava nodded smugly and skipped after her father.

A full-out battle had been launched between Evelyn and Aiden by the time Nate had gotten into the room. Evelyn had gotten into Aiden's prized action figure collection and taken his favorite one of them all – batman. She was standing on top of the bed holding the toy into the air and shouting "don't touch me or I'll make him fly too!"

Nate rushed forward and snatched the action figure from Evie's hand before lifting her kicking and screaming form off of the bed.

"This isn't _fair!_ I should get to throw his toy at the wall too," Evie screamed before her feet were planted firmly on the ground beside Aiden.

Nate opened his mouth to speak when he noticed Chuck and Blair's sons giggling at the scene from the corner. He shook his head and gave them a disapproving look. "You're not helping, boys. Why don't you go to the play room with the girls?" When the other children scattered, he turned his attention back to the two in front of him. "Aiden, it's not nice to make toys 'fly' like that, and I've told you this before. The same goes for you, Evie. You both need to apologize and hug before I sit you in _another_ time out for arguing today."

"Awww dad," Aiden stomped his foot. "I was just having a little fun!"

"It's not fun to make your friends cry, young man," Nate answered sternly. "Now apologize."

"Fine," Aiden whined. "I'm sorry, Evie," he said before reluctantly stepping forward to give his friend a hug.

"I'm sorry too," Evelyn replied quietly even though from the look on her face, she _really_ didn't want to. She just didn't want to take another trip to the time out chair again.

"Good," Nate encouraged them. "Now let's go start a movie for you all to watch before the Bass' get here," he said, leading the way to the playroom down the hallway of the penthouse he and Jenny shared with their two children.

Since Jenny and Nate had gotten together five years earlier, JHumphrey Designs had become a multi-million-dollar corporation, and Nate had become very successful working for his grandfather. They were recently able to upgrade to a large penthouse on the Upper East Side. They looked the part of the happy couple with the beautiful twins, though lately, the "happy couple" portion of that statement wasn't the truth behind closed doors. Jenny was always travelling, down at her department store or cooped up in her office working on JHumphrey Designs while Nate was always with the children. Jenny didn't seem to have the time for their little family anymore, or rather, the incentive to _make_ time.

Their problems were a well-kept secret from everyone, including their close family and friends (or so they thought).

By the time Nate had gotten the children set up with a movie and began making his way down the hallway to the living room, the elevator to the penthouse was dinging and Chuck and Blair were walking in together.

"Hey guys," Nate greeted, hugging both of his friends before leading them into the living room. He noticed way that Chuck watched Blair closely as she sat down with a worried expression. He also noticed the fact that Blair was trying to look anywhere but at either of the men in the room. He instantly knew that something was _very_ wrong. "How did your appointment go?"

Blair and Chuck glanced at each other and then around them to make sure none of their children were eavesdropping behind the couch.

"On Saturday, Blair has to have a mastectomy, and then on Wednesday she'll start chemotherapy," Chuck answered, knowing that Blair really didn't want to talk – or rather, couldn't. "We don't want to tell the children yet, so I'm wondering if you and Jenny will be able to watch them tomorrow night until Sunday. If not, we can ask Lily or Dan and Vanessa. We just don't want to tell them until Blair's finished her second round."

Nate nodded wide-eyed at his best friends sitting across from him. "Sure. I'll do whatever you need."

"Thank you, Nate," Blair replied with a smile before she ran her fingers nervously through her hair. "I'd just rather Evie not have to deal with being worried about my health on her 5th birthday," she explained before sadly adding, "I don't want any of my children to worry about my health at all."

Chuck shot Nate a worried glance that he obviously didn't want Blair to see because a moment later, the look was gone and he was shooting Blair a reassuring smile. "Well, they won't have to worry much." He kissed her temple. "Let's get the children and then go home so you can rest, ok?"

Blair nodded and then stood immediately to go and fetch the children. She just wanted to spend the time before her operation with her family. They were exactly what she needed.

XOXOXOXO

Saturday morning started at 4 o'clock for Chuck and Blair. If they were honest with themselves, it started hours before that what with the sleep that they weren't able to make themselves get.

Blair's stomach growled and her body craved the comforting caffeine that usually came in the form of her morning coffee. Because of the surgery, however, she was forced to go without. Fasting was required for twelve hours beforehand. She was just happy that Chuck was considerate enough not to eat in front of her when she wasn't allowed.

Other than the annoyingly persistent hunger that she was experiencing, the morning seemed to pass by in a blur, and before either Blair or Chuck had realized it, she was at Lennox Hill Hospital already laid up in a bed waiting for someone to come in and prep her for surgery.

"Are you comfortable," Chuck asked, standing up from his chair to fluff Blair's pillow for the sixth time. "Are you warm enough?"

Blair chuckled tiredly and then reached out for Chuck's hand. "I'm fine, Chuck. Sit down and relax."

Chuck did as his wife said before taking one of her hands in both of his and kissing the back of it. "You're right. I'm just a little nervous is all. I want you to be comfortable and...ok," he said, sighing tragically. "I just want to snap my fingers and make all of this go away."

Blair reached up with her free and ran her fingers over the stress lines on Chuck's forehead until the creases smoothed. She smiled and then moved her hand to one of the cheek bones that she loved so much – the same cheek bones that their sons had inherited. "I'm going to be fine, Chuck. I'll just be sick for a little while, and then I will get better and everything will go back to normal. You'll see."

Chuck studied Blair's eyes silently for a few minutes as if to check for any sign of doubt within them. When he found none, he calmed slightly. Either Blair was completely sure of her words or she had become entirely too good at hiding her emotions from even him. He hoped the answer was the former. He leaned down placed a gentle kiss on Blair's lips and then her nose before nodding. "Ok. I'm going to trust you on that, Bass."

Blair giggled and then nodded. "You better."

A knocked sounded at the door in that moment and the couple called for the visitor to come in.

It was Doctor Andrews, dressed in scrubs and followed by a nurse and two other doctors. "Hello Blair," she said as she walked towards the bed. "I hope that you were able to sleep well."

Blair shrugged. Her eyes nervously darted around the room. "I tried, but it was a little difficult," she admitted, clutching onto Chuck's hands a little tighter.

"Being nervous is completely normal and completely justified, Blair," Doctor Andrews assured her. "But I want you to know that you are in safe hands. This is Jedric," she gestured to one of the men standing beside her who then stepped forward to shake Chuck and Blair's hands. "He will be your anesthesiologist today. He'll get you started on your IV drip right away with the help of Zoe." The kind-looking nurse stepped forward and patted Blair on the shoulder with a nod. "Zoe will be around until after your operation so she will be able to help you then as well."

The final doctor stepped forward, also dressed in dark blue scrubs and nodded at Blair and Chuck. "And you already know me, Doctor Peardon, your plastic surgeon, so I will be replacing your breast after it is removed today. Don't worry," he began. "I will make it look exactly the same as your other one, so no one will ever notice." He smiled kindly at the couple and though it was slightly comforting, neither Chuck nor Blair ever wanted to be seeing a plastic surgeon in this kind of situation.

Jedric and Zoe, who had walked away during the time of Doctor Peardon's introduction, were now returning with a tray and an IV pole that had a bag attached to it.

"We'll just leave you alone for a few minutes while you get prepped for surgery, and we'll see you in just a few minutes," Doctor Andrews said before walking out of the room followed by Doctor Peardon.

"Can you just extend your arm for me, Mrs. Bass," Zoe requested kindly. When she noticed Blair's face contort in fear and apprehension, she smiled comfortingly and then turned her gaze to Chuck. "Sometimes it helps if someone is there to distract you. Why don't you talk to your husband while we do this? It will be over before you know it."

Blair and Chuck nodded simultaneously, but Blair still stared at the needle on the tray in front of her with contempt.

"Hey, hey," Chuck leaned in close to catch Blair's attention. When she slowly broke from her fearful trance and turned to stare at him, he smiled. "Tomorrow we're going to get to finish the arrangements for Evie's birthday party. You'll likely not be in the mood to do that, so I wanted to ask you something." He brushed some hair away from Blair's forehead, and followed the path softly with his lips. "Are you sure that you've picked the right color scheme? We've changed it four times, and I want to be sure that this is the one that you want."

Blair winced and then sucked in a large breathe when she felt the IV needle pierce through the skin on her arm. She shut her eyes tightly to keep herself from turning to look, and then nodded. "Yes. Evelyn's favorite colors are pink and purple; mine is red, so we're going to go with those colors." She smiled and sighed in relief when the needle stopped moving.

Chuck laughed quietly. "That is the color theme that you started with. What happened to wanting to go with Winter tones and then greens and oranges for Spring?"

"Well, I don't want Evie to have a party that is only what I want for her. My mother used to do that to me all the time." Blair shook her head to rid herself of that nightmare. "I just want to allow her to express herself and if pinks, purples and reds are what she wants, than that is what she will get," Blair said sternly.

Chuck chuckled quietly. Leave it to Blair to always look so stern and strong, even in the face of fear. "Ok," he said with a nod. "Pinks, purples and reds it is."

At that moment, Jedric patted Blair on the shoulder to catch her attention, interrupting their quiet discussion. "I'm going to put some of this medication into your IV, alright? It's going to keep you calm, and can make you a little sleepy, but you won't be put completely under until you're in the operating room."

Blair's eyes closed of their own accord and she took a deep breath to calm her fears. They kept trying to bubble to the surface, and she had no time for that. This was just the beginning of a lot of scary moments to come. This one was the least of her worries. "Alright," she answered, calming even more when she felt Chuck gently squeeze her hand. She felt something cold begin to run through her veins, and before she could really think about it, Blair felt an immense calming feeling take over her.

Chuck smiled when he saw Blair completely relax into the pillows. The fear and tenseness in her features had been worrying him. While he was still very worried, at least something was able to make her calmer. He looked up at the door when Doctor Andrews and Doctor Peardon both walked into the room.

Doctor Andrews walked quickly to the side of Blair's bed and began helping Zoe raise the rails on the side. "We're going to take you down to surgery now, Blair. Is that ok?"

Blair nodded her agreement and then finally opened her eyes to look at Chuck. She was a bit woozy having not taken anything this strong before, so opening her eyes made the room spin a little. "I love you," she said as she reached out to him.

Chuck could see that Blair was tired. He leaned down to kiss her forehead softly. "I love you too. I'll see you as soon as you wake up," he whispered before the bed began to move.

"Ok," Blair said before closing her eyes again. She fell asleep on her own accord as the bed was pulled from the room.

XOXOXOXO

Four hours of Chuck pacing the waiting room and fearing the worst with each passing minute soon came to an end, and he was greeted by Doctor Andrews who walked in with a smile.

"Blair did great," she said, pausing to allow him to sigh in relief. "We just wanted to wait until she was out of after-surgery recovery and back in her room to come and get you. I can take you back to her now if you'd like."

Chuck nodded without saying a word and then quickly followed the doctor back to the room Blair had been in earlier. He sighed in relief when he saw her peacefully sleeping on the bed before him. He couldn't even tell that she had just been in a three-hour surgery. He moved to walk toward her, but was stopped when the doctor began to speak.

"She'll experience some pain and discomfort when she wakes up, and possibly some nausea from the anesthetic," Doctor Andrews explained. "When she wakes up, let us know; if she vomits, please inform us, and if she wakes up experiencing too much pain, let us know about that as well. She should be waking up anytime now."

"I will," Chuck assured her, moving to sit in the chair beside Blair's bed. Her placed his hand on top of hers, and began waiting for Blair to wake up.

XOXOXOXO

The only thing Blair registered as she woke up was a dull ache in her chest and down into her upper left arm. She groaned at the feeling and then opened her eyes to see her husband sitting beside her.

"Blair," he sighed, standing up to kiss her forehead, her cheeks and then her lips softly. "You're awake," he said, relieved. "How are you feeling?"

She groaned again. "Sucky," she answered, vaguely aware of her husband pressing the call button beside her on the bed.

Chuck nodded his head in understanding. "The doctor said that your chest would hurt for a while, and that your arm would be hard to raise passed a certain height." He squeezed her right hand as a sign of comfort.

Blair being Blair tried to test the theory and raised her arm slightly. She couldn't get it a foot off of the bed before crying out in pain, which only served to cause her chest to hurt from the expansion of her lungs. Before either of them knew it, tears were rolling town her face. "It _hurts_," she whimpered quietly.

Chuck reached forward to gently run his hand through Blair's long brown hair. He nodded. "I know, Blair. I'm so sorry." And he was. If he could take all of this away from her, he would. No questions asked. But he couldn't, so instead, he would be there for her for as long as she needed him to be. They were a team.

A nurse came in after a moment to answer the call. She shot both Chuck and Blair sympathetic glances when she saw Blair lying there in tears. She patted the young woman gently on the leg before heading over to the IV stand. "I'm just going to up your pain medication a little bit, ok?" When she got a silent nod from Blair and a worried look from Chuck, she went on. "You _just_ woke up from surgery. That is when the pain is the worst, but it will lesson soon. This pain medication should put you to sleep for a little while."

Blair nodded and squeezed Chuck's hand tighter, silently asking him to stay with her.

Chuck kept his lips against Blair's forehead, whispering "I love you" against her skin over and over, and he didn't pull away until the medication had put her into a peaceful sleep.

Then he let a few tears fall.

**A/N - How did you like it? Review, please!**


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